Menu

Communications

Communications

At M.D. Communications, we process and Dispatch Medical Emergency and Inter-Hospital Transfer calls for 39 Ambulance companies, including Saskatoon, Lloydminster and North Battleford, 19 Rural Fire Departments, 150 Rural First Responder Groups, Saskatchewan Air Ambulance, and Corman Park Police Service (after hours). We are staffed with 5-6 people during weekdays, and 4-5 on weekends and nights. Shifts are 12 hours, starting at 06:30 and 18:30. We also do extra duties such as Data Entry, (entering and invoicing trip sheets), quality assurance and we do fundraising and charity work. We have many different roles and have many protocols and policies. Everything we do and say is tracked. All phones lines and radios are digitally recorded and exact times are recorded automatically or by the computer-aided dispatch program.

MD Communications is a state of the art Communications Center, employing 38 certified Emergency Medical Dispatchers, all of whom are also certified Emergency Fire Dispatchers. We are proud to be recognized as a Center of Excellence by the National Academy of Emergency Dispatch, an honor we have held since 2000, a total of 6 consecutive Accreditations. Maintaining this level of certification requires strict compliance to the highest standards of accuracy and efficiency. We are the only Accredited Center of Excellence in Saskatchewan, and the fourth Center in Canada to attain this achievement.

What we do

Our Telecommunicators are dedicated to the highest level of customer service. Our center upholds a zero minute response time by providing immediate assistance at the emergency scene, instructing the caller over the phone with CPR, choking, childbirth, bleeding control, and other trauma or medical situations. We are the First-“First Responders”. We gather location and patient information. Ours is a non-visual environment, so we need to develop skills for handling emotionally upset or hysterical callers. We must instantly teach untrained people what to do, in the heat of the moment, while doing a non-visual scene and patient assessment. Scenes can be chaotic or dangerous and we are responsible for communicating all vital information to responding crews.

What it takes

Curious about a career with Communications? Try answering the following self-assessment questions to see if it is a good fit with your personality and lifestyle.

Are you willing to work a 12 hour, rotating shift schedule, where you work 2 or 3 dayshifts followed by 2 or 3 nightshifts?

Are you willing to work weekends and holidays?

You will be working 12 hour shifts with paid breaks and lunch periods. Are you willing to work through breaks, when necessary?

Are you willing to take directions from a Supervisor?

Are you able to type accurately and quickly and speak to someone at the same time?

Are you able to listen to several conversations and make quick, accurate decisions, based on what is said?

Are you willing to speak with traumatized or hysterical people in a professional manner or deal calmly with angry people?

Are you willing to deal with a crisis call where a child might have died, a rescuer is injured, or a woman has been assaulted, and then set it aside and continue calmly with your next call?

Are you willing to work in an environment where all communication, telephone/radio/computer, is recorded?